Corner Shadows

It didn’t seem
appropriate, flowers on her desk
wilting, another symptom
considering the puzzle pieces.
Petals fell, smiles from broken
vases and empty faces
warm ovens baking loaves of bread
toasty words spread.
Living in a VW Beetle
shivering in the night
heading to work
walking lonely through the crowd.
Not knowing what was
calmed the waves
watching those outside
throwing pebbles at their hunger.
The grumble from the stomach
not nearly as tragic
as the silence
raging in occupied halls.
The oblivious
symptom of the haves
and have not, no more immense
than the horizon.
Great things lie
ahead of every storm
keep watch
the ocean rises to meet the sun.

Written for a lady I met in Santa Fe who told me her story after two days of greeting and smiles. I still wait for her promised letter. As the days pass I grieve we may never hear or see each other again.

We each wrote a poem for the other and I will dig that out to share. A very personal poem as I was reluctant, but beautiful words all the same and I begin to feel the sharing appropriate after much contemplation. She too is a poet and my time spent at the bed and breakfast, as good as the tamales were, it was our words shared, enriching the space between.